Bill would keep mug shots private until conviction

A bill in the state Legislature would restrict access to police mug shots until a person has been convicted.

Sen. Joseph Robach, R-Greece, Monroe County, picked up the legislation in the Senate late last week, after it was introduced in the Assembly in February.

The one-paragraph bill would change the state's criminal procedure law to only allow police to release a mug shot -- a photo taken when someone is fingerprinted on criminal charges -- when the suspect has been convicted.

It also includes narrow exceptions. If a court ordered a mug shot released, for example, police would have to comply. Police would also be able to release a mug shot for a "criminal justice function," such as publicizing a photo to find a suspect on the loose.